Farmer groups say impact of protests will be seen in Haryana polls

With their protests continuing in poll-bound Haryana, farmer groups have once again expressed their opposition to the ruling BJP, even as farmer collectives plan a series of mahapanchayats to raise awareness about their issues and pending demands.

Haryana was a major centre of the 2020-21 farmers' protests against the now-scrapped farm laws. The protest was held under the banner of the Smayukt Kisan Morcha.

The group later split and the Samyukt Kisan Morch (Non-Political) was formed. The SKM (NP), along with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), is leading the ongoing protest at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana.

Both these groups are opposed to the ruling BJP and their demands are similar.

Abhimanyu Kohar, a farmer leader from the SKM (NP), said the impact of the farmers' protests was visible in the recent Lok Sabha polls as well, and the protests that have been happening have made people in the rural areas aware that they should vote on their issues.

"Even in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP faced losses in rural areas. The 2020-21 protests and the ones that started on 13 February 2024 have raised awareness. And farmers and labourers are voting on the issues that impact them," Kohar told PTI over the phone.

"Issues like minimum support price (MSP), and implementing the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission are major factors in rural Haryana," he said.

He also said issues like the Agniveer scheme, and a reduction in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) funds are also prominent in the rural areas of the state.

With the sit-in protests at Shambhu and Khanauri continuing, Kohar said the "atrocities" committed on the protesters have not been forgotten.

"The violence and atrocities that were committed on farmers are fresh in the minds of people. They will teach the BJP a lesson in this election," he said. Kohar added that the SKM-NP is reaching out to people in villages. "We are holding small public meetings, where we are also showing images and videos of the incidents," he said, adding that a 'video van' will also be started soon.

The SKM-NP will also hold a mahapanchayat on 15 September at the Uchana Mandi of Jind, while on 22 September, a mahapanchayat will be held in Peepli of Kurkshetra.

All India Kisan Sabha (Haryana) secretary Sumit Singh, who is a member of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, said farmers' issues will dominate the upcoming elections in rural areas. "We will see the impact of farmers' protests in this Assembly election. It was there in the Lok Sabha elections as well," Singh told PTI.

The SKM is also going to villages to raise awareness about the pending demands of the farmers, said Singh. The group also has plans to hold 'Kisan Majdoor Mahapanchayats' between September 1 and 10, and the final decision will be taken in a meeting of the Haryana SKM on August 20.

The demands of the farmers include ensuring legally guaranteed MSP based on C2+50 per cent formula with assured procurement for all crops, no privatisation of the power sector, among others.

In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the BJP, which had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in the 2019 polls, lost five to the Congress. This time, while the Congress is challenging the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced it will fight all 90 seats.

Also in fray are the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which has joined hands with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which was in alliance with BJP until March this year, among others.

Asked if the votes may get divided, Singh said, "People will understand who is the strong candidate and they will support them. We are not campaigning for any party, we will tell people to pick the strongest candidate against the BJP."

Kohar also said the SKM-NP is opposed to the policies of the BJP government, but is not campaigning in support of any party.

Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni, the chief of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Haryana, and the founder of Sanyukt Sangharsh Party which is also in fray in these polls, also said the people are against the BJP, but agreed that the votes against the ruling party may get split. "That is a fault of the Congress. They should have formed an alliance with us," Charuni said.

Charuni, who was also a part of the SKM during the 2020-21 protests and parted ways after he formed his party, said his effort is to ensure the farmers understand the power of their votes. "We formed a political party, and we are trying to make farmers understand that their direct participation in governance is important for our demands to get accepted," he added.

Singh, meanwhile, said opposition parties should understand that people want to defeat the BJP, and come together. "We are appealing that political parties should also understand that people are against the BJP, and when people are fighting against the BJP, they should also join hands," he said.

Elections to the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held on 1 October and results will be declared on 4 October.